'Lack of food,' vulgar names: Abuse complaints at school for troubled teens

Oregon officials on Friday threatened the license of a boarding school that's been on a state "radar list" for most of the past three years -- revealing repeated allegations of abuse and neglect.

The Department of Human Services, in a letter detailing concerns at Scotts Valley School about 40 miles south of Eugene, writes about children enduring hunger, bedbug bites, vulgar nicknames such as "orphan whore" and punishment that involved silently facing a wall for 12 hours a day.

"Throughout all of these reviews, students consistently report being hungry," the letter says. "The issue regarding food is pervasive enough that DHS has concerns the lack of food may cause serious health issues for the students or reflect a neglectful environment."

The 20-page letter is the second this week to detail serious complaints against an Oregon child-care provider. And it's the third this year as fallout continues from a scandal over allegations that a Northeast Portland foster care provider misspent $2 million in state money while neglecting and abusing the children under its care.

That scandal prompted a series of legislative hearings, a push for new legislation and plans by Gov. Kate Brown to overhaul the state's child-welfare system. Human Services officials released this week's letters in response to media requests last month seeking more information about the department's "radar list" of troubled providers.

Taken together, the findings paint a troubling picture of disarray among Oregon providers and the regulators tasked with overseeing them.

One staffer at Scotts Valley Schoolat Scotts Valley School, in Yoncalla, conducted his own reference checks, the state said. Investigators also found that staffers failed to intervene after a female student reported a rape and was hounded into silence by classmates.

The private facility -- which provides 24-hour care for troubled teens from around the country -- failed to track children's medication and consent forms, along with records showing whether staffers were trained in CPR and the handling of emotionally troubled youths.

Noting a pattern of complaints since the school first gained its license in 2009, the letter had harsh words for longtime director Dave Thomas -- accusing him of violating rules requiring child-care staffers to possess "good moral character."

"Thomas has frequently misrepresented facts or responded to inquiries in a circular fashion," the letter says. "He often blames his employees for failing to properly document or file information, without acknowledging his own responsibility to supervise those employees."

Thomas, in a short interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive on Friday, said he hadn't read the letter but disagreed with the state's findings. He threatened to sue the Department of Human Services, accusing it of fabricating conversations and refusing to provide help as promised. The school has 30 days to challenge the state's action.

"We are in full compliance. We are well within substantial compliance right now," Thomas said. "We have never had one child go hungry, not once."

Scotts Valley School landed on the state's watch list for 30 of the past 36 months, licensing officials told lawmakers in November. The list, updated every few months, considers factors such as the volume and severity of complaints, and long-term noncompliance.

Officials first revealed the list at a tense legislative hearing last month on how the department deals with those providers. The hearing followed reporting in Willamette Week that said top officials continued to send children to Northeast Portland provider Give Us This Day despite knowing about serious abuse allegations and financial struggles.

Asked why Human Services didn't move to revoke Scotts Valley School's license until this month -- given the drumbeat of complaints stretching back years -- spokesman Gene Evans said the department's hands were tied by weak enforcement rules.

"We did hold Scotts Valley accountable on these issues, and they completed their corrective actions to return to compliance with many of them," he said in an email. "The problem was they were not able to sustain compliance."

Evans also pointed to the department's new interim director, Clyde Saiki, who was handpicked by Gov. Kate Brown to lead an overhaul of the state's child welfare system. Saiki ordered fresh reviews of each of the seven providers on the state's most recent radar list.

"Clyde heard the concerns and said enough is enough," Evans wrote.

Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, said Friday's letter perfectly explains why she's drafting legislation to give Human Services more power to crack down on providers. She was particularly disturbed by the allegation involving the reported rape.

Now, she said, licensing inspectors have wide discretion when deciding violations are serious enough to declare a provider out of compliance with licensing rules. Her bill would set a clear bar for that declaration: any violation involving discipline, nutrition, safety and background checks, among others.

"I'm glad these letters are going out. What I don't understand still is why it took so long," she said. "What our bill will do is make clear that some teeth are there and that action is immediate. It doesn't look like they ever came into compliance."